Queen Latifah’s Queen Collective Launches Project That Aims To Promote More Diversity In Filmmaking

Queen Latifah is working with Procter & Gamble and Tribeca Studios on a new project that will work to highlight and promote the need for racial and gender equality in Hollywood.

Latifah’s Queen Collective has joined forces with Procter & Gamble and Tribeca Film Studios to provide female directors of color with mentorship and production support, and in addition, will connect directors with distribution opportunities for their projects. Proctor & Gamble’s Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard, and The Queen Collective’s directors, Monét and Anderson, sat down for an exclusive interview where they discussed the importance of diversity being represented in-front-of and behind-the-camera.

“We see a lot of stories that have been told through their lens in every way, shape, and form,” Latifah said during the development of the Queen Collective. 

“White guys have been able to tell their story in every sort of way, and unfortunately it hasn’t been that way for women. And it hasn’t been that way for people of other colors or genders. That’s the part that’s missing. We want to make sure that everyone is allowed to tell their story.”

The project has already helped two female directors so far. Up and coming directors B. Monét and Haley Elizabeth Anderson had their films, “Ballet After Dark” and “If There Is Light” premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Friday, April 26. Ballet After Dark “tells the story a young woman who found the strength to survive after an attack. She created an organization that is helping sexual abuse and domestic violence survivors find healing after trauma through dance therapy.” If There Is Light follows the story of Janiyah Blackmon, who “wrestles with her new life in New York City as her mom tries to move her family out of the shelter system and into a stable home.”

The short documentaries are now also available on Hulu.